TO CLIPS INDEX - Clips for April 9, 2008


As Arizona battles deficit, legislators OK hefty tax cut
The Arizona Republic - April 9, 2008 12:00 AM
Lawmakers voted Tuesday to repeal a state property tax, triggering a business-backed campaign
to persuade Gov. Janet Napolitano to sign the bill into law. The move to do away with the education-
equalization tax comes as lawmakers are struggling with billion-dollar shortfalls in the state budget.
And although the tax revenue doesn't factor into the immediate budget situation, the issue of cutting
a tax at a time of deficits has provoked a strong debate inside and outside the state Capitol. Senate
President Tim Bee, R-Tucson, said the move should provide businesses and residents "some
certainty" about their tax bills in coming years because the state would no longer be collecting the
estimated $250 million it raises.

Sun City ends contract for ASU classes
The Arizona Republic - April 8, 2008 08:50 AM
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Arizona State University will no longer offer classes in
Sun City. The Recreation Centers of Sun City Inc. board of directors voted March 27 to not renew
its contract with the ASU Lifelong Learning Academy. Under the proposed contract, ASU asked
the RCSC to pay $75,000 to continue the program for the next two years. "RCSC recognizes the
value of continuing education and the Lifelong Learning program, and this was not an easy
decision for the board," board President Denny Nichols said in a statement. "Unfortunately, with
the Sundial repair project, we simply do not have room in the budget for the required expense."
The institute will continue to offer classes at three West Valley locations: Sun City Grand, Sun
City Festival in Buckeye, and ASU West in Phoenix.

Ariz. biotech grows apace
Arizona Daily Star - April 9, 2008
But some firms troubled, expert says
Arizona's biotech companies are showing continued growth, but fixed costs and lack of capital may
pose problems for some in the industry, one leading expert said at an annual conference in Tucson
Tuesday. At a luncheon speech, Celtic Therapeutics LLLP co-founder Peter B. Corr said problems
include "massive" patent expirations and a lack of capital for some companies. At the same time,
Corr, a well-known pharmaceutical executive and academic, said growth among Arizona's biotech
firms is palpable. "If I would have given this talk 10 years ago, there would have been one table,
maybe two," he said. At Tuesday's event, Arizona biotech leaders filled more than a dozen tables.

PetSmart donates $1 million for professorship at UA's Norton School
Arizona Daily Star - April 8, 2008
For the second time in four years, PetSmart Inc. has bestowed a $1 million gift on the University
of Arizona's Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences. The newest gift establishes an
endowed professorship in the PetSmart name, in the Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing,
which is housed in the Norton School. The gift also will be used to launch the new Career-Wise
Cats Companion Animal Track program, which will introduce UA students to careers in retailing,
with a major emphasis on the PetSmart model. In 2004, PetSmart donated $1 million for a
research-oriented professorship in the Norton School, now occupied by Eric Arnould.

Editorial: Our Opinion: Universities' $1.4B proposal is a bold boost for AZ's future
Tucson Citizen - April 9l, 2008
First, let's state the obvious: Trying to sell a $1.4 billion proposal in a time of billion-dollar-plus
deficits will be difficult. And when the proposal is for higher education in Arizona - a state not
known for being generous with education dollars - the undertaking is doubly difficult.
Nonetheless, the presidents of Arizona's three universities deserve a lot of credit for having the
courage to bring forth a massive construction proposal in these tight financial times. And if
legislators can summon the guts to look beyond the current budget crisis to years in the future -
when many of them will no longer be in office - they will see a rare opportunity to leave a lasting
and permanent legacy to the betterment of Arizona. This is a proposal that deserves their
consideration - and their support.

Mexico researchers meet at UA on border
Tucson Citizen - April 9, 2008
The University of Arizona is the host this week of researchers from Mexico for briefings and
meetings on border issues. The researchers will travel to the border ports at Nogales and
Sasabe. The Mexican researchers will meet with human rights groups here, with federal
border and immigration enforcement officials and with a representative of the Arizona
Attorney General's Office.

Legislature sends repeal of suspended property tax to Napolitano
Tucson Citizen - April 9, 2008
PHOENIX — The Republican-led Legislature has tossed a political hot potato — the possible
return of a suspended state property tax — to Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano. A House-
passed bill to repeal a suspended state property tax cleared the Arizona Senate with no votes
to spare Tuesday as one Democrat joined all but two Republicans in voting for the bill. The bill
(HB2220), a priority of the state's business lobbies, would permanently repeal a state property
tax to avoid having it automatically take effect again. Allowing the levy to take effect again in 2009
would produce an estimated $250 million annually for the state and raise the property tax on a
$250,000 home by about $100 a year.

'Nontraditional' students find support in new honors club
ASU Web Devil - April 8, 2008
If you're the only 35-year-old in a classroom of 20-somethings, you might be mistaken for some-
body other than a student."People will often think I'm the professor," said Ethan Owen, a 35-year-
old honors student pursuing a bachelor in computer science. Owen said his classmates are
usually between 19 and 21 years old, and their lives are very different from Owen's, a father of two
young girls. "The only thing I have in common with people in class is often the class itself," he said.
This semester, Owen and a dozen students in situations similar to his founded the Barrett Honors
College Association of Non-traditional Students. BHCANS, pronounced "beacons," is open to
students 25 years old and older, Owen said, and students who have not been enrolled in school
for at least two years.

Nursing groundbreaking changes face of campus
ASU Web Devil - April 8, 2008
With the completion of the new building for the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism set for fall
and last week's groundbreaking ceremony for a new building to add to the College of Nursing
and Healthcare Innovation, ASU's Downtown Phoenix campus is rapidly expanding. The five-story,
84,000-square-foot nursing building will provide five new classrooms for nursing students, said
Julie Newberg, a Downtown Phoenix spokeswoman, in a press release. The nursing college will
occupy the building's first three floors. The fourth and fifth floors will house city of Phoenix offices
and non-nursing ASU units. The copper and glass facility will also include a 200-seat auditorium,
a faculty office, student facilities and research space.

Through online courses, broader knowledge for middle-school teachers
ASU Web Devil - April 8, 2008
The West campus has decided to reach out to a new student demographic — middle schoolers.
ASU West associate professor Ray Buss, of the College of Teacher Education and Leadership
recently secured a Board of Regents grant for CTEL professors and ASU staff, who are
collaborating to develop online courses to broaden the knowledge base of middle-school science
teachers. Currently, there are three online courses in the works that will be taught in a pilot program
in the fall of 2008. CTEL is working with both the Glendale and Isaac elementary school districts in
piloting these new classes. A small group of middle school teachers from these districts will take
part in the pilot classes, which according to Buss will be "focusing on life science, physical science,
and earth and space science."

One Democrat minus two Republicans equals tax relief
Arizona Capitol Times - April 9, 2008
Republicans finally got the final vote needed to pass a proposal that would permanently put
in place a property tax relief program, and it came from a Democrat. Meanwhile, two GOP
members made good on their word and broke ranks to oppose the measure. Their opposition
to the legislation had, for a while at least, blocked their party from achieving one of its priorities
for this session.

Universities seek funds for projects
Mohave Daily News - April 8, 2008 10:01 PM CDT
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - State university presidents said they have a plan to jump start the economy
while helping institutions of learning. They want lawmakers to give them $4.1 billion for capital
projects. That's going to be a hard sell because the state is facing a budget deficit of at least $1.2
billion this fiscal year and an estimated $1.7 billion next fiscal year. University presidents are
packaging their proposal as an economic stimulus that will not only shore up the faltering
construction industry but will also help the knowledge-based economy. (Note: The newspaper
issued a correction for 2nd paragraph of the story. The correct amount should be 1.4 billion.)

Students at Nation's Online Higher Education Programs Find More Support to Help Them Succeed
PRNewswire - April 7, 2008
DENVER -- Students at many of the nation's leading online higher education programs have access
to more support services aimed at improving their success in college and beyond, now that two of the
nation's top providers of educational services have joined forces. InsideTrack, a provider of student
coaching services to colleges and universities, and eCollege, the nation's leading provider of
comprehensive online learning technology, have formed a strategic partnership to offer InsideTrack's
Success Coaching service at colleges and universities that use eCollege's online learning platform.